This easy-to-understand, straight-forward, approachable book, which is based upon important engineering concepts is intended to advance knowledge on the subject of shelter, one of man's basic needs. The reader can glean standardized information about the field of pre-purchase home inspections. This information will assist people in determining the condition of a home and in living a safer and happier life. The book includes a multitude of house plumbing, electrical, roofing, heating, foundation, and structural problems commonly encountered when scouring a home for potential purchase. Some building code and safety items have been presented as well. Many illustrations assist the reader to understand home inspection concepts. Additionally, it is THE guidebook for both professionals and novices alike, which serves to integrate the sound, relevant context of the issues oftentimes identified when purchasing a home. Practical Guide to Home Inspection will act as an invaluable resource to utilize when in the midst of the often challenging home buying process.

How to pursue the home of your dreams with your eyes wide open. The Home Buyer's Inspection Guide will help put you in the home that's tailored to your needs and budget. Unlike many technical handbooks that are designed for professional home inspectors, this sensible, straightforward guide gives you the practical tools you need to establish your priorities, assess the available houses before you, and make a clear-headed judgment about the one that finally works for you. The guide focuses on several major housing aspects and prompts you to ask questions and seek out answers so that your final decision is a fully informed one. You'll weigh the advantages and drawbacks of various houses in such crucial areas as: * Asking price--its reasonableness, affordability, and negotiability * Property taxes--their affordability and stability * Property condition--the quality of the overall structure, the roof, the internal systems, and the probable cost of upkeep * Neighborhood--its general appearance, the age mix, the available community, and municipal facilities * Education--the type, quality, and proximity of schools in the area * Energy efficiency--the degree and quality of the insulation, the cost of typical utility bills With the guide's help, you'll know each prospective house from top to bottom, inside and out. You'll then use the book s unique value ratings system, which enables you to clearly establish your priorities and to rate each house in each of the major housing areas on a numerical basis so that your final decision is truly objective. Then, just to make sure that nothing is overlooked, the guide encourages you to bring in a professional home inspector at this later stage and shows you how to deal effectively with the inspector and the ensuing inspection report.

Here is a comprehensive instruction manual covering every aspect of exterior, interior, and electromechanical home inspection--basic enough for a layperson and detailed enough to be a working tool for professional home inspectors. Revealing techniques and methods used by experts, this heavily-illustrated reference details how to evaluate the condition of a home or condominium apartment. Precise step-by-step procedures enable the reader to inspect a home as though accompanied by an inspector with many years' experience. Written by a professional home inspector, COMPLETE BOOK OF HOME INSPECTION, 3rd Ed. is packed with photographs, dozens of checklists and worksheets, and a valuable summary which appears at the end of each chapter.

For home buyers and home sellers. Here is the first how-to that addresses the needs of both buyers and sellers, making it the perfect companion to the bestselling The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Buying and Selling a Home. The buyer will depend on this guide to determine whether a house is worth buying. The seller will need it to determine which repairs are necessary before listing or signing anything. Readers will learn to troubleshoot all areas of a home, including its structure and foundation, windows and doors, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, insulation, electrical systems, and the roof, just to name a few. In this Pocket Idiot’s Guide®, you get: • What to look for when inspecting the electrical system, the roof, and other parts of the home. • Simple advice on what to do if the results of your inspections aren’t good. • Expert explanation of what you can expect during and after the inspection. • Easy ways to tell if a home is worth buying—or if it will need extensive repairs before you put it on the market.

Learn from experience before you buy a house. Home buying can be confusing. How can you get on the right track? By learning the process. Written by a five-time home buyer, The Path to Your Home gives you plain English descriptions, simple definitions for real estate jargon, tips from eleven experts (real estate agents, mortgage lenders, financial advisors, a settlement agent, an attorney, an insurance agent, and a home inspector), things to consider and questions to ask, convenient charts, websites, programs, and publications. Prepare yourself. Know the basics. Plan the path to your new home!

This training manual provides an introductory review of the home inspection business including checklists, new reporting guidelines, and multiple teaching aids to help students learn industry fundamentals.